Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its Western Union stake by 72% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 144,193 shares to bring its total to 344,452 shares worth about $3.2 million.
• Wall Street remains cautious on Western Union (NYSE: WU): Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded it to strong sell, and the overall analyst consensus is still Reduce with an average target price of $8.82.
• The company reported weaker-than-expected earnings, posting $0.25 EPS versus $0.40 expected and revenue of $963.5 million versus $1.06 billion expected; despite that, Western Union announced a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, implying an 11.2% annualized yield.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 72.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 344,452 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 144,193 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.11% of Western Union worth $3,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in Western Union by 606.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 1,546.5% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Western Union by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 164.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Western Union by 260.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Cantor Fitzgerald raised Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Trading Down 1.4%

Western Union stock opened at $8.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $8.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.21. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $10.35. The company has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.50.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union's payout ratio is 69.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

About Western Union

Western Union Company NYSE: WU is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.

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